How A Simple Project Became A Tiny Rebellion.
Before I ever became a mother, before Cassidy ever held a paintbrush in her tiny hand, I learned something important about children and creativity — and I learned it in the most unexpected place: a private school daycare where I worked in the infant and toddler room.
Every day felt the same.
Snack time. Play time. Nap time.
And then the part I dreaded most: movie time.
Movie time wasn’t for the kids.
It was for the adults who were tired of dealing with them.
I hated it. I hated watching babies and toddlers — kids who were curious, energetic, hungry for connection — being sat in front of a screen because the grown‑ups didn’t want to engage anymore. It made me angry in a way I didn’t have words for at the time.
So one day, when the TV cart rolled in, I decided that today would be different.
My co‑worker told me toddlers wouldn’t sit still for more than a minute.
She rolled her eyes when I said I wanted to try something else.
She left the room, annoyed.
And that’s when I gathered the little ones — some as young as ten months — and sat them in their highchairs and around the rainbow‑shaped table. Their faces lit up when I told them:
“We’re going to make something special for our mommies and daddies.”
I handed out paper plates and asked them to color the beach — grass, water, sand, whatever they imagined. Then I gave them paper bowls and asked them to create a creature: a crab, a turtle, a jellyfish. They told me what they made with so much pride.
I gave them glue sticks (not the babies, of course), feathers, eyes, yarn — anything to bring their creatures to life.
And something happened in that room that no one expected.
The kids were quiet.
Focused.
Happy.
Engaged.
Creating.
My co‑worker walked back in, then walked out again.
She returned with more staff — and the director.
They stood there watching me interact with the kids in a way, I guess, no one ever had. Not because I was special, but because I believed something simple:
Kids don’t need screens to settle down.
They need connection.
They need creativity.
They need someone who sees them.
When the artwork dried, I glued the pieces together — little crabs with fork legs, turtles with bright shells, jellyfish with yarn tentacles. When parents arrived, each child beamed as they handed over their creations.
It was the first time anyone had tried something like that with the toddlers.
And it changed everything.
I was promoted shortly after and given full creative freedom in the infant and toddler room. But more importantly, that day taught me something I’ve carried into motherhood:
Art opens a child’s world long before they have words.
It gives them expression, confidence, imagination, and joy.
Even at ten months old.
Especially at ten months old.
And that’s why creativity has always been at the center of how I parent — because I’ve seen firsthand what happens when a child is given the chance to create instead of being told to sit still and be quiet.
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I’d love to hear from you — what creative moments have you shared with your little ones? When did you first see their imagination spark?